Flip, Flip Hooray for FlipOut (and a giveaway!)

We see a lot of card games here at Gamewright HQ. In fact, card games like Slamwich and Rat-a-Tat Cat are a few of the titles we’re best known for. Just when we thought we had played every type of card game, along came FlipOut.

FlipOut is a fun family strategy game where players switch, swap, and flip cards in order to get at least four-of-a-kind in a row. Sounds easy, but the cards in your hand are not necessarily your own! Every card is double-sided, so anyone can take and use any card in sight. The player that collects the most cards at the end of the game, wins! If this sounds like fun to you, want to win a copy of FlipOut? To be entered into the drawing, leave a comment telling us your favorite place to buy games. Don’t forget to leave your email address. The winner will be randomly chosen and emailed on Tuesday, 3/8/11. Comments must be received by midnight on 3/7/11.

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One of the best ways to learn more about a game is to meet the person behind the game. Dan Weaver, the inventor of FlipOut, was kind enough to share some insight with us about creating awesome games like FlipOut.

Dan Weaver with his two sons, Benji & Dylan, playing Patchwork (now FlipOut)

What inspired you to create FlipOut? I discovered FlipOut where many great American inventions are discovered – in the shower!  The previous evening, I had played poker with friends and while shampooing my hair I started thinking “what have I never seen before in games?” I was visualizing the previous evening’s poker game and realized that the backs of playing cards are never used!  By the time I was done drying off, FlipOut existed in my head almost exactly as it is today.

What makes FlipOut different than other games on the market, and why will families enjoy playing it? First and foremost, FlipOut is the only game you will find that uses both sides of the cards, which itself makes FlipOut totally unique.  Moreover, FlipOut is that rare game which adults and kids authentically enjoy playing together.  Most games are either too simple for the adults or too complex for the kids – FlipOut hits a sweet spot: fun and engaging for kids and adults! Finally, like all games I invent, FlipOut is super easy to learn and plays quickly with lots of social interaction and subtle strategy.

What other games have you invented? I started inventing games as a hobby about 10 years ago, so I have invented quite a number of games.  However, until Patchwork (now FlipOut) I never had the courage to try to get anything published.

Original Patchwork box

Are you still inventing games, and if so, any in the works that you can talk about? I am totally bitten by the game design bug now and I have been working to invent new games for the past year.  I recently partnered with two other game designers, Dug Steen and Nate Beeler, and through our combined efforts, we have 7 new games.   They span a broad gamete:  Rough Cut is a family, party game where you get to design your own movie; Endangered Species is a fast, fun kids’ game in which you have to find the missing animal; and Crunch Time is like full-contact, multi-player Tetris®.  Most recently, we came up with an as-yet-unnamed game in which the players must use inductive logic to win – this game is shaping up to be very fun and unique.

So, go hop in the shower for some inspiration and maybe you will think of the next great Gamewright game! 😀